Standard machining processes used for defining air bearings on sliders can no longer be used because of the strict tolerances required for smaller-dimensioned air bearing features on magnetic read/write heads, or sliders. Methods have been developed for defining air bearings on sliders which require the use of more advanced processing technologies, such as photolithography techniques as currently used in integrated circuit processing. One method is plasma defined rail "PDR" processing. PDR processing has been instrumental in the development of several key improvements in disk drive performance, particularly with respect to the performance of the magnetic read/write heads used in disk drives.
The air bearing profiles on sliders are defined when the sliders are still combined together in a flat and thin row, prior to being separated into individual sliders. The PDR processing technology, however, creates a serious manufacturing problem when applied to the individual rows because of the thin film coating (photoresist deposition), reticle alignment, and etching steps required. Single unit PDR processing is very inefficient because individual row handling is time consuming, subjects the rows to a high risk of damage since each fragile row is individually handled several times through the PDR process, and the resulting air bearing profiles can vary widely from row to row. As a result, while PDR processing is necessary to define the required air bearing surfaces, the viability and cost effectiveness of using PDR processing on these thin narrow rows has been limited.
There is missing in the art a tool and associated method which allows for the definition of the air bearing profile on a plurality of individual slider rows in a batch environment. Such a tool would provide uniform processing results across many rows, high production through-put, and a decreased risk of row damage due to frequent handling. It is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention was developed.